This month’s blog features expert tips for growing vegetables and saving money on groceries, creative ideas for home decoration, sewing, and kids parties. Also check out the vibrant paintings of the kiwi lifestyle by New Zealand artist Graham Young.
Crops in pots / Rachelle Strauss ; foreword by Pippa Greenwood.
“Like the idea of growing your own fruit, veg and herbs but don’t have the room or energy? “Crops in Pots” is a user-friendly guide to getting a taste of self-sufficiency, growing wherever you can grab the space – whether it be your patio, balcony or window sill. Apart from the many joys of growing your own food, the benefits of container gardening are manifold: accessibility, portability, soil choice, easier pest and disease control…Find out how to get started and choose your pots, how to grow and harvest – including the most appropriate crops for small spaces, how to deal with problems and lots of great tips on how to be successful on a shoestring.” (Syndetics summary)
Home / Beci Orpin.
“A unique craft book that is guaranteed to brighten your home and your life. HOME, the latest book by design guru Beci Orpin, is filled with inspirational ideas and unique craft projects specially designed for your home. Separated into three spatial areas-living space, working space, and sleeping space-HOME will inspire you to create original, fresh, and unique crafts for all the important spaces in your house. Each chapter is filled with full-color photographs and quirky illustrations by Beci, as well as excellent tips and ideas for beautifying your home. At the end of each section is a collection of projects created especially for this book, each with a varying level of difficulty but always ensuring there is something for everyone. Have a go at sewing your own bold-colored cushions or a geometric-pattern duvet cover. Grow and design your own succulent garden or learn the skills to repurpose an old chair. Be inspired to design your own wall art or perfect your workspace with carefully designed, space-saving techniques that are both beautiful and functional. Suitable for both established and aspiring crafters, HOME will inspire you to make and create objects and artwork that will enhance your living space and make you fall in love with your home all over again.” (Syndetics summary)
Lazy days : painting the Kiwi lifestyle / Graham Young.
“The vibrant paintings in this gorgeous book capture that bright sparkling quality of our New Zealand light. Graham Young portrays elements of the Kiwi lifestyle against a backdrop of familiar landscape – the corner dairy, old baches on the coast, boatsheds, villas and country barns. There is always evidence of people in these paintings, which are presented in the form of a journey through everyday culture – there is nothing highbrow about the art shown here. Graham is fascinated by signposts of the past, the architectural heritage of our towns and disused agricultural machinery hidden in long grass on older farms. He comments about his paintings, which are grouped loosely together to reflect place and scene: beach and coast, town and country. Visitors and New Zealanders alike will enjoy this evocative collection depicting the laid-back Kiwi lifestyle.” (Syndetics summary)
Stylish kids’ parties : recipes & decorations for 12 festive occasions / Kelly Rohlfs Lyden.
“Your favorite party hostess, Kelly Lyden, makes it a snap to plan, design and execute festive kids’ parties that wow adults and thrill little ones! Filled with 12 creative and colorful party ideas, Stylish Kids’ Parties shows you how to confidently tackle party preparation by using color palettes and themes that carry through–from invitations and decorations to party favors and treats. Complete with DIY tips, recipes, projects, themed activities and templates, you’ll love these party ideas for boys and girls, first birthday celebrations, baby showers and holiday gatherings.” (Amazon.co.uk)
150 best kitchen ideas / [editor and texts Montse Borras, Aitana Lleonart].
“New ideas on how to design, build, and decorate a kitchen are always of essential value to architects, designers, and homeowners. This new addition to a successful series offers an extensive collection of both modern and traditional kitchen designs from all over the world, plans devised by distinguished international architects and designers who have worked to achieve practical, innovative, and stunning solutions adapted to the specific needs and particular tastes of their clients. An exciting compilation, “150 Best Kitchen Ideas” expresses the diversity of current trends in kitchen design focusing on decor–materials, lighting, colors, and windows–and specifics such as tables, wall units, flooring, appliances, and countertops. It is an inspirational source of ideas for those active in the field of design or interested in updating the focal point of their homes.” (Syndetics summary)
Charles Dowding’s veg journal : expert no-dig advice, month by month / Charles Dowding.
“The book uses the seasonal checklists, advice and hard-won experience of the UK’s best-known no-dig gardener to plan a year’s veg growing. The information is taken from the author’s successful Charles Dowding Vegetable Course and arranged in a useful monthly journal so that no activity is overlooked and readers can follow his mantra of ‘little and often’. In this book Charles Dowding proves the efficacy of no-dig gardening, and using step by steps guidance with photos shows how to plan a veg garden, construct a raised bed, sow seed indoors and outdoors in spring, grow on young crops, protect his plants from the weather and pests through the season until he celebrates the joy of harvesting.” (Library catalogue)
40 projects for building your backyard homestead : a hands-on, step-by-step sustainable-living guide / David Toht.
“Provides details on how to build more than 40 projects–sheds, feeders, fences, and other structures–to enhance readers’ sustainable living.” (Abridged from Syndetics summary)
Budget bytes : over 100 easy, delicious recipes to slash your grocery bill in half / Beth Moncel.
“Moncel launched her blog, Budget Bytes (budgetbytes.com), after economic recession forced her to adopt a strict food budget. The recipes in her new cookbook, some adapted from the blog, are written for novices who value variety as much as saving money. Many cost less than a dollar per serving, and while they rely heavily on inexpensive staples, they incorporate flavorful seasonings and garnishes. Moncel includes freezer and pantry stocking tips, sample menus, and an index of vegetarian and vegan recipes. Verdict? Though great for budget-conscious young adults, Moncel’s debut is less useful than her website, as several great features (e.g., cost breakdowns, cooking times) have been lost in translation.” (Library Journal)
Sewing with letters : using your favourite words & fonts / Nicola Tedman & Sarah Skeate.
“Words and letters have never been more popular used as decoration around the home everyday objects are blossoming with everything from single characters in a bold san-serif to words and phrases in elegant calligraphic faces.” (Syndetics summary)
Dreaming small : intimate interiors / Douglas Woods ; photography by Melba Levick.
“The masterpieces of small-house living featured here will serve as inspiration to those who struggle with the challenges presented by contemporary life in petite-size homes. “Dreaming Small” is a celebration of jewel-box homes, each marked by a sense of style that marries eclecticism, practicality, beauty, and livability. From quintessential bungalows and classic casas to Tudor fantasies, these delightful abodes are models of rich diversity and inspired living. In brilliant new photography, the book explores the possibilities that exist in these mostly unpublished gems by legendary architects Irving Gill, Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, and Paul R. Williams, among others. The houses, each under two thousand square feet, are examples of what is possible in the small house and offer the reader a colorful palette of ideas from which to artfully transform spaces into comfortable, contemporary living.
Some homes featured here are period-perfect time capsules, harkening back to the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s, while others embrace the new and are entirely of today. All are a testament to how a well-designed house can wonderfully serve the needs of the twenty-first century. In an age where many are downsizing, this book will be welcomed. While showcasing a mix of homes, it emphasizes light, bright, and inspiring interiors that are beyond distinct architectural styles. The trend of reviving old houses will continue to grow steadily, and this book will be inspirational for those looking to do it right.” (Syndetic summary)
